Summer is speeding along. July is just about over…so if anyone knows how to slow down linear time, give me some pointers, will ya? What a wonderful start to the week…Walking into the screaming sunshine after checking out The Dark Knight Rises in Imax with my pal Kiran was surreal!

Kiran and I can easily recommend The Dark Knight Rises.

I have to agree with the critics…as far as supero hero action movies goes, it doesn’t get much better. I enjoyed The Avengers and Iron Man…but being DC Comics (rather than Marvel) puts it in a different, more serious league…Bale, Hathaway, Caine and the crew of the latest Batman all did stellar jobs and Chris Nolan is simply a brilliant director!

I didn’t get in as much sailing as I’d like this week, but I did have a memorable afternoon with four fun girls from Korea.

The last time I took a puppy on board I regretted it. This cute little canine is boat friendly!

I knew MK from an unforgettable Halloween two years ago and it was great to see her and meet her friends. I fell in love with the tiny dog she brought along. It was MK’s birthday and we had big winds and great fun all day long!

Have no fear – Captain MK is here!

Yet another great photo of The CN Tower…I seem to take a lot of photos of that! 😉

The girls loved listening to the music I programmed for our trip…Melody Gardot, Barbra Lica, Tim “Love” Lee, Bonzai Suzuki and Ennio Morricone!

I’ve been sailing over ten years in Lake Ontario and there have been a few firsts this year. The first time I’ve seen thousands of cormorants: Black birds that used to number in the hundreds and live on the Leslie Spit. I figure since they eat about a pound of fish a day, that must mean we must have a LOT of fish in Lake Ontario. Still, watching them pass us sometimes reminds me of the Hitchcock thriller “The Birds.” I also have never seen 22 Swans hanging out in the middle of the lake. They are almost always in and around the islands.

It was longer than “a three hour tour” but I couldn’t help but feel like a very lucky Gilligan.

Laura Kikauka’s mom, Gita, was a sweet force to be reckoned with…the tribute to her took place at The Funny Farm near Meaford.

I attended a Memorial for Gita Kikauka who recently passed away at the age of 82. I know I will never forget her…I still remember her husband Talis so clearly and he died long ago. She was an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, and could be found gardening and chopping firewood on any given day. What a woman!

It was so good to see Laura, El Gordo and Charlie the dog…I’m going back this weekend for their ginormous party, EE7. (More info below)What a woman!

Laura Kikauka has been one of my best friends for decades…I love her style and recall the first time I met her she introduced me to a couple of robots having sex in her basement. I am not making this stuff up!

Musically it’s been a great week! The Shuffle Demons released their first CD of original music in almost 20 years called “Cluster Funk”, available through Linus Entertainment. Linus have also signed Peter Appleyard and Elizabeth Shepherd – what a great label!

Lula Lounge was Standing Room Only and the band were in a fantastic mood…dare I say as wild as ever? (Uh, that’s pretty wild!) As usual, the show featured a “bass sacrifice” (George Koller is renowned for his other worldly bass solos) and the crowd went banana cuckoo. There were some outrageous dance moves from various members including drummer Stich Winston who pulls shapes few have ever attempted.

Another gig that blew my mind this week was a duo performance of Scarlet Jane. I think their CD is destined to help them become international stars. This band would be perfect to open for Russell deCarle or Blue Rodeo at a really big show!

Scarlet Jane – next time you see them advertised…GO!

Another highlight of my week (and perhaps year) was helping my talented friend Pam Hyatt make a live recording. Pam’s show featured songs from tin pan alley; mostly clever and funny stuff, with a few sweet ballads and some outrageous monologues. She was accompanied by popular pianist Peter Hill who is certainly one of the most easy going and talented musicians you could ever hope to work with. The concert took place at Canterbury Music Company on Dufferin with Jeremy Darby on the board…people donated large to come to this live recording. My parents said it was certainly worth the trip from North Bay – every time they hear the CD (out in early November) they’ll remember seeing it all happen live. Pam’s first CD at 76 will not be her last!

My mom and dad loved PAMALOT at Canterbury! Me too!

Heather volunteered to pour wine at Canterbury and Churchill Cellars donated the wine to help out “Granny Pam”.

Lisa Particelli hosts a weekly open mic at Chalker’s Pub called “Girls Night Out”. This is where I first saw Pam Hyatt – so it was wonderful that Lisa could make it to the show. Also Sam Broverman and Ori Dagan, two singers who made their CD’s at Canterbury where there and about 20 others. Robert Saxe took some great shots for the CD art. I look forward to hearing PAMALOT (a lot) in the fall!

After a day in the studio I bee-lined to my loft for a ginormous party. I live in a magical warehouse where everyone gets along and we all indulge each others “hare-brained schemes”.

The entrance to our recycled cardboard theme party!

In the winter every loft designed a mini golf hole – this time we went for “Cardboard City”…live music, film projections, dancing, vegan chili and tons of booze…oh yeah and cardboard…lots and lots of cardboard! The live music went from rock to folk and it was especially cool to have Greig and Geneveive perform Celtic music in the garden.

You know you are at the right party when Sahra and Andrea show up!

Happy campers at Cardboard City!

Genevieve and Greig…violin and guitar…wow!

I don’t think anyone expected that level of playing at a free warehouse party.

And the next morning I liked seeing some of the cardboard art was still up. After a quick cardboard robot hug, I made my way to the GO Train to hook up with Gigi and make our way to Aldershot for a BBQ.

Gigi and I went to see Geoff and Brooke Kulawick for a wonderful afternoon of swimming and BBQ!

First of all, getting out of town on a Go Train is super easy…and secondly, going to an old friends house to hang with his family and some cool neighbours was just the thing for my fairly large hangover.

Geoff and his wife have been close friends for decades and I won’t let so many years pass before hanging again. Brooke’s dad was a virtuoso on the leaf!

The Fab Four – strange when the guy with the leaf is the most talented musician in the bunch!

He saw me with my kazoo, took a leaf off a tree and made serious music. He also played accordion while Gigi sang along in French. Sweet!

Wholesome fun in Aldershot!

COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
I’ve been to The Electric-Eclectics Festival (near Meaford) for all but one year and I highly recommend to any fans of avante garde art, music and surrealist camping. Check out EE 7 AT THE FUNNY FARM for details on how to get tickets…and how to get there!